Final stand
by Wolfsalvo
Summary: As 300 ODST's hold off a Covenant attack for evacuating civilians, they will battle at an old historical scenery that will have a repeat in history, but with modern weapons, and worse odds. -Not for those that dislike blood and gory detail.


**Chapter 1: Ultimate Last Stand**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Halo; it belongs to 343 industries and Bungie.**

**Authors Note: During my free time, I was listening to some music, and I decided to put it into a one-shot for an epic Halo fight. This will take place on Earth, but far from any normal engagements, this will instead take place Thermopylae, or more commonly known, where 300 Spartans (Real Spartans) fought impossible odds, and ultimately earned their rights of passage to the afterlife.**

_Alarms were blaring painfully loud, even though the headsets of my ODST (or Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) helmet were set on the max sound dampener. My radio crackled to life as I was running towards the war room where I could get to my drop pod, and a deep brass voice shouted through the speakers in my helmet, "GET YOUR ASSES TO THOSE PODS! YOU'RE NOT A GOOD TROOP IF YOU DIE IN SPACE COMBAT, SO MOVE MOVE MOVE!" The radio cackled off, and I sent up a silent prayer and thanks, and walked past the sliding doors, and ran to my pod and carefully slammed my SMG and pistol into their holding compartments before sliding into my seat myself. The doors closed as soon as I was sitting/standing in my seat, and I felt my pod jerk and groan as it slid backwards and over Earth._

**(PFC Bray P.O.V.)**

When I looked down, I could see the beautiful blue orb with light brown dotting the surface of the magnificent world, known as earth. Soon afterwards, my thoughts were interrupted as a synthetic voice crackled through my pod, and I heard the countdown…

"3…" Someone sent up a quick prayer through the radio.

"2…" I tightened my grip on my handlebars.

` "1…" my body loosened up as someone else shouted like a cowboy over the radio.

"Launch!" Pressure slammed into the bottom of my body as my pod shot away from the ship, and a few plasma shots came soaring towards me, and the blackish cloud of hell jumpers. I saw one whiz past my cockpit, slightly sagging the glass but not causing any major damage.

Rocking and violent jerking jostled me around the small space, but I was already accustomed to the feeling as everyone in this jump was a veteran, except for three rookies. I grabbed the manual grips that controlled the thrusters, and prepared for the worst. Outside my pod, I saw a fellow troopers pod smash into a banshee, causing a purple hazed explosion to form around that part of the sky, but I was amazed to see the pod heavily damaged, keep going through the haze.

"Did anyone see that? I just went through banshee and lived!" someone shouted over the radio. I chuckled as I pressed a button, and a green acknowledgement light flashed in my visor, alerting me that my visual had seen the crash…

* * *

**(Thermopylae area)**

Birds were chirping, the waves were lapping at the shore, and flashes of white, purple, and red could be seen in the sky. As peaceful as the area was, anyone who might have been here wouldn't be able to understand how somewhere could look so beautiful when a war was raging, and the battle front was mere miles from the area. A grey mass in the sky seemed like a small smudge, then a swarm of insects, and finally an ominous grey cloud that was leaving a trail of fire.

A bright white flash filled the sky in an area where a few red flashes had struck, and soon a purplish ship was hovering above the haze, and the small grey cloud of ODST pods. Two pods rammed into each other as a third was bounced away, and the huge covenant carrier had shot a purple beam down towards the planet. Just as the first pods started to crash to the surface, troops began to shimmer down from the purple shaft of light.

Just as half the pods had crashed to the ground, another one barreled into the sea, another slammed into the rock wall and burst into a bright ball of red and blue flames. A third pod was nearing the water's surface as well, but a seraph fighter that had attempted to straft the pods crashed into it, and unfortunely, this pod didn't survive either.

Pods started to make hissing noises and popping was heard before latches sprang sideways, and hatches were shot into the air. Some crashed into other doors, while a mass majority crashed against the cliff wall or fell into the sea that was nearby. One managed to lodge itself into the front of a pod that a trooper had just exited.

**(PFC Bray P.O.V.)**

After I had exited my pod, I had grabbed all my weapons and gear before I stretched. A loud popping noise issued from in front of me, and through my visor, I could see someone's pod facing me, and a feminine voice yelled into the radio, "My pods opening, get out of the way!" and I rolled to my side as the hatch slammed into my pod, passing through the area I had been not too long ago. I turned my head until I was looking back at the pod, and I saw a fellow ODST step out and run towards me.

I stood up just as the trooper reached me, and I heard her say, "Are you alright?"

"I am now, but we won't be with that carrier dumping all its troops into our region…" just as I was finishing, a flash of white light brightened the sky, and a streak slashed through the blue expanse of the atmosphere before slicing the covenant carrier clean in half. Cheering was heard all around the small area we were at, but someone shouted in an authoritive voice, "GET TO COVERRR!"

I immediately grabbed my gear and looked around for the best defensible position, and spotted a large cave like tunnel a few hundred feet away from the barren area we were at. I looked at the trooper, who looked at me also before nodding, and I soon took off sprinting towards the cover. A few green bolts of superheated plasma shot past us, along with the occasional bright electric blue. A heavy to the front of us stopped and dropped to their knee as they turned around, and a green beam shot past us and slammed into the dirt near the cover we were attempting to get. A rocket slammed from the tube of the heavy and sailed past us, and three seconds later, a loud explosion along with a howl of pain and anger was heard, along with the squeals of grunts.

The brief moment I used to look behind me, I saw purple, green, blue, and silver blood pelting the dirt below as a hunter fell down over the remains of a squad of grunts, and an elite was attempting to stand up whilst a jagged hole was what once was his leg. Facing back forward, I patted the heavy on the solder as we passed him, and I heard him fire again. A few more troops ahead of us turned around, and the sounds of crackling and flashes of light flared from their guns, and I could hear the sound of grunts crying out in pain, mixed with the challenging roars of elites…

…

"We are here, in this small, yet highly defensible position, a natural choke point if you would. Command has ordered us to hold this position until the civilians on the other side of this pass are safe an evacuated. Am I understood?"

"SIR, YES SIR!" The chorus of voices rang out. His visor hid his expression, but he soon said, "Good, now let's go kick some covvie ass!"

We turned around towards the crackling of rifles, and started to sprint for the entrance. The carrier had only dumped a portion of their cargo off, but the troops it had dropped off outnumbered us 10000 to 1, with only three quarters of that being grunts. I pulled my SMG off my hip just as I entered the opening, and as I looked through the corpse filled battle field, I heard music starting to play over the channel, and it seemed to fit perfectly with what I was looking at. Drums were pounding as I watched grunts flipping over backwards, and I lifted my gun to my shoulder, and let the familiar recoil soothe my mind as the music continued to draw closer to my consciousness.

Verse:

_**Here our soldiers stand from all around the world,**_

_**waiting in a line to hear the battle cry.**_

Just as the sentence ended, my rifle clicked, and an elite shimmered into view in front of me. I yelled as I threw myself at it and drew my combat knife, and brutally slammed it against the elite's neck. It kicked me off, but as it did, my knife tear through the neck muscle. Purple blood splashed all over my armor as I pushed myself away. It took a few steps towards me before sparks flew from its armor as bullets slammed into its abdomen, causing it to stumble backwards and fall down. Someone rushed up behind me and helped me up, and then gave me a rifle before shooting back at the oncoming enemies again…

_**all are gathered here, victory is near,**_

_**The Sound will fill the hall,**_

_**bringing Power to us all,**_

A hunter came lumbering towards our position, and just as one raised its armored gun, a blast of light and smoke shot past me in the form of a rocket. Before the hunter could raise its shield or move its gun, the rocket entered the barrel and exploded; green fire shot out from its arm as the hunter next to it raised its shield, and a green light blinded me…

_**we alone are fighting for Battle that is true,**_

_**we own the right to live the fight, we're here for all of you,**_

I looked back over where the hunters' gun had exploded, and the only thing visible was the charcoaled remains of the feet of the hunters, and the blackened outlines of the places bodies used to be. I shook my head as it began to swim, and turned back to the fight and began to unleash my fury in the way of bullets and dead bodies…

_**Now swear the blood upon your steel will never dry,**_

_**stand and fight together beneath the battle-sky !**_

_**Refrain:**_

_**Brothers everywhere**_

_**raise your hands into the air**_

_**we're warriors, warriors of the World**_

A frag grenade soared fast my head, but just as it was about to hit the ground, a jackal flung its shield forward, and that caused the grenade to fly towards me. I jumped to the side just as it exploded, but the force and shockwave sent me tumbling, and my helmet had a new dent in it as my head barreled into the rock-face. "_We are dropping like flies sir, we need to find cover or we will all die!" "WE ARE NOT LEAVING!" "Look, is that a cargo ship?" "The civilians, they are finally evacuating…"_

_**Like thunder from the sky**_

_**sworn to fight and die**_

_**we're warriors, warriors of the World**_

_**Verse:**_

_**Many stand against us but they will never win,**_

_**We said we would return and here we are again,**_

I shakily took a breath in as I stood up. I looked towards the ground and saw a jagged hole was running along my SMG, showing the inside of the barrel, and I quickly crouched down as fire started to soar over my head. I looked around and saw a dead grunt with holes peppering its armor as greenish blue blood oozed from its wounds. Approaching it, it made a few whimpering noises as I grabbed the fuel rod gun next to its corpse, and picked up a plasma grenade on its belt.

_**to bring them all destruction, suffering, and pain,**_

_**We are the hammer of the gods, we are thunder, wind, and rain!**_

_**there you wait in fear with swords in feeble hands,**_

_**with dreams to be a King, first- one should be a man,**_

_**I call them out and charge them all with a life that is a lie,**_

_**and in their final hour they shall confess before they die!**_

The plasma grenade activated just as I was about to put it in one of my pouches, and with reflexes most wouldn't have, I threw it away from me in a random direction. Have it be my luck, the grenade sailed into the midst of a platoon of suicide grunts and jackals, and a large blue fire shot into the air as all the explosives went off. I smiled as I hefted my cannon onto my shoulder, aimed down the sights, and took a shot at an elite group with swords in shining red armor. The shot was so powerful; I was flung backwards and landed hard on my ass…

_**Refrain:**_

_**Brothers everywhere**_

_**raise your hands into the air**_

_**we're warriors, warriors of the World**_

Just as I picked myself up and off the ground, I saw the shot land on one of the elite's chest, blowing him to smithereens and dismembering its surrounding allies. I cheered as I stood up, but a blue blob quickly shot towards me, and as I attempted to dodge it, I felt a searing pain in my side, and when I looked down, I saw it had torn slagged my midsection armor to my body. I staggered backwards and fell to my knees as I looked over and saw an elite charging towards me with an energy sword and plasma repeater. Its mandibles' were spread wide, and I could faintly make out the sound of its roaring, but it was cut off as I fired the fuel rod cannon again, and this time it hit its head…

_**Like thunder from the sky**_

_**sworn to fight and die**_

_**we're warriors, warriors of the World**_

_**Bridge:**_

_**If I should fall in battle, my brothers who fight by my side,**_

_**gather my horse, and weapons; tell my family how I died,**_

My vision started to sprout black dots as I lost more and more blood, but I still struggled to my feet so I could keep fighting on. I dropped the cannon as I didn't have the strength to keep holding it, and instead grabbed a plasma pistol lying nearby, and started shooting at any aliens that came within my now blurry sights…

_**Until then I will be strong I will fight for all that is real,**_

_**All who stand in my way will die by steel!**_

_**Refrain:**_

_**Brothers everywhere**_

_**raise your hands into the air**_

_**we're warriors, warriors of the World (2x)**_

_**Like thunder from the sky**_

A few needler rounds lodged into my chest were reflected away by the battle plating, but it was cracking, and soon a single shard lodged through it and into my skin below. I looked down, and just as my visor plate faced it, it exploded in a pinkish red haze. Spider web designs played across my visor from the individual shards, and I fell backwards and onto my back…

_**sworn to fight and die**_

_**we're warriors, warriors of the World**_

_**Brothers everywhere**_

_**raise your hands into the air**_

_**we're warriors, warriors of the World (2x)**_

_**Manowar: Warriors of the World music.**_

My helmet fell down sideways, and I saw the courageous acts of my brothers and sisters fighting, and dying; some in more… peaceful ways, than others. I sighed weakly as the pain was slowly subsiding, and warmth was taking over my body. I didn't feel worried, fear, or anxious as I slowly watched my brethren perish against the never-ending horde of enemy troops.

_**Like thunder from the sky**_

_**sworn to fight and die**_

_**we're warriors, warriors of the World**_

_**Brothers everywhere**_

_**raise your hands into the air**_

A bright light began to beat down on me from above, and when I was looking in that direction, I saw the familiar faces of all my deceased family and friends looking at me, holding their hands out to me. I reached up to them, but soon a force slapped my hands down, and a purple light replaced the white light. What ONI had dubbed as a '_Prophet_' was floating above me, and it had a look of disgust on its face as it spoke, and my translation software repeated, "Humans… such a weak, and disgusting race…" I sighed softly, and saw a plasma grenade next to me out of the corner of my vision, and with the last of my strength, I grabbed it, activated it, and whispered to myself, "One last thing I have to do…"

The explosion morphed into a green cloud, and before everything nearby exploded, I had a last thought, _we are the 300 Spartans… even if we didn't get augmentations…_ and then the green explosion destroyed all thought and anything living within a few dozen feet…

_**we're warriors… warriors of the World (2x)**_

_******The songs name is - Manowar: warriors of the world -i found it on youtube, so check there.**_


End file.
